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EDIFACT integration using SAP XI

Former Member
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Hi experts;

I'm quite new to SAP XI.

Lately a colleague asked me for the possibilty to communicate with a business partner via EDIFACT.

We are not able to communicate that way, yet.

I already searched the SDN for some information relating this topic and read some blogs and threads.

But most of them was detailed information that doesn´t match our needs.

I need some high level information about EDI integration within SAP XI, to evaluate if we are going for a

solution or not.

What are the different possibilites to enable EDI communication?

What are the provider? (I already SEEBURGER, are there others?)

What do I need for EDI? (only the XI Adpater e.g. Seeburger or do I also need some Hardware or other things?)

Whats about the pricing? (how does it works? messages based?)

What´s SAP Conversion Agent? Is that a possibility to realize a EDI szenario?

I think that are enough questions for the beginning...

As I already mentioned I need some High-level information about the different possibilties and how to evaluate them.

Thanks in advance.

Kind regards

Jochen

Accepted Solutions (0)

Answers (5)

Answers (5)

Former Member
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Hello Jochen,

another open source approach to be worth to look at is the "Open PI Initiative (OPI2)".

A good overview with EDI and PI you will find in this forum:

[https://www.sdn.sap.com/irj/sdn/wiki?path=/display/bpx/edi%2bwith%2bpi|https://www.sdn.sap.com/irj/sdn/wiki?path=/display/bpx/edi%2bwith%2bpi] .

Pursuing hints and comments about Open PI Initiative (OPI2) you will find here in the same forum (at the bottom of that overview under open source solutions):

[https://www.sdn.sap.com/irj/sdn/wiki?path=/display/bpx/edi%2bwith%2bpi] ,

and on

[http://sourceforge.net/projects/opi2/] ,

here you can access to the source of the adapters, modules and tools for SAP’s integration platform PI (XI).

Coming out, when I had been looking for a trial version of SAP XI 3.0, alas without success until now. So, this means for me a preliminary exercise...

Regards

Christian

Former Member
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Hi Jochen,

there is a open source software:

http://www.b2bbypractice.org/

At the moment it supports just EDI formats for utility companies. But you can enhance the solution.

Which edifact-formats do you need?

If you need more information please contact me:

mario. mueller @ energy4u.org (Please remove blanks)

Regards Mario

Edited by: Mario Müller on May 2, 2008 7:01 AM

Former Member
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Hi;

you guys are amazing.

thanks for all your support.

I think first of all I have to waork through the information provided above and ask my colleague for more detailled

information about the planned scenario.

Summarizing the given information above, there are two different ways of realizing such szenarios

- buying a adapter like Seeburger and specifing the mapping in the provided tool

- create a own module, that calls a XML converter e.g. DataDirect XML converters & Stylus Studio

is that correct?

One question is still open.

Do I need additional hardware?

How can I receive the incoming EDI message and how can I send my EDI message to my partner after building it using one of the two possibilities

explained above?

Can you give me more information about that, please?

Kind regards

Jochen

Former Member
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Hi Jochen,

regarding sending and receiving EDIs.

You can use Mail-Adapter, FTP or HTTP.

Regards Mario

prateek
Active Contributor
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Do I need additional hardware?

Not mandatory.

But if u choose to deploy the adapter or adapter module on a decentralized adapter engine, then additional java engine would be required.

How can I receive the incoming EDI

Using the adapters/module, XI will communicate eith the EDI partners. If u purchase Seeburger adapter, then u ll get enough document along with the adapter for the steps to be performed

Regards,

Prateek

Former Member
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Hi,

If u r using Seeburger then either ur partner send the EDi data through WAN or through mailbox.

u need to do some configuration in the seeburger party identifier tab and mention the partner no provided by WAN network provider or if u r using mail box then u need to give the mail box configuration parameters.

chirag

Former Member
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Hi guys;

if my partner isn't able to send the EDI message via File or FTP, I need futher hardware ( a special Box getting the EDI stream, selled by AT&T or other

telecom provider) for receiving the EDI message

is that wright?

If I use Seeburger EDI Adapter, do I also need such a box or is it possible to communicate directly with the Integration Server?

Another issue relating that topic is, that for security reason our XI is located in the DMZ, so directly communication wouldn´t be possible.

any suggestions on that?

Kind regards

Jochen

prateek
Active Contributor
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I think ur EDI landscape is yet to be configured. Before identifying the EDI landscape, u should not concentrate on the integration requirements.

I need futher hardware ( a special Box getting the EDI stream

The communication will occur using traditional VAN mailbox or one of the EDIINT communication like AS2, OFTP, X400 etc. This has to be setup in ur landscape. Then u should start looking into the integration requirement. Then accordingly u have to select the adapter.

If I use Seeburger EDI Adapter, do I also need such a box

Not mandatory. Please refer my previous reply

for security reason our XI is located in the DMZ, so directly communication wouldn´t be possible.

Seeburger adapters allows secure communication on https also. So configuring should not be a problem

Regards,

Prateek

Former Member
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Hi Prateek;

as I mentioned above, at the moment we do not use EDI at all. So we don´t have "a EDI landscape" yet.

Lately there was a request for EDI communication .

My question at the moment is, if EDI is worth the effort for us and what#s necessary to enable EDI.

How have a "EDI landscape" look like? What are the components e.g. Mailbox???

as I said before, I´m really new to EDI communication.

regards

Jochen

Former Member
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HI,

As I have said earliar for EDI implementation

1) U need to purchase the license from Seeburger.

2) Ur partner either send EDI message either through Mailbox or WAN network so u need to have that inplace. this is required when u actually go live for real testing.

These things are required apart from that I have told you the configartion steps required. please read my reply again

chirg.

Former Member
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Hi Chirag;

thanks for your information.

Lets say I bought Seeburger Adapter and my partner send the messages not via internet (WAN), but via mailbox.

In that case I need special hardware to get the message, wright?

What exactly do I need in this case? (Hardware, provider contract)

Could anybody give me a idea, what this approximately costs. (Seeburger Licencse, Hardware, provider)

I know this depends on the number of messages and so on, but just a raw estimate to check if i make any sense to us.

Thanks in advance

Kind regards

Jochen

Former Member
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Hi,

U dont require any hardware.

If u r receving message through mailbox then u can use FT,VAN adapter for the same which seeburger provide when u bought license.

U will need to check with seeburger for licensing cost and also with the Mailbox provider how they will charge u based on the message flow.

chirag

Former Member
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Hi,

for your case Seeburger is the best way to do.

Seeburger can convert any formats to any formats.

for XSD Creation we can use BIS.

for commutation AS2 adapter.

And seeburger is one time investment. for other like VAN communication company have to pay per message.

Venkat

Former Member
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Hi,

1) What are the different possibilites to enable EDI communication?

A) U can do EDI integration with following ways

1) Using third party seeburger adaprer.

2) Using conversion agent

3) Using custome adapter module development.

What are the provider? (I already SEEBURGER, are there others?)

A) Seeburger is the one as this the partner of SAP for EDI integration.

What do I need for EDI? (only the XI Adpater e.g. Seeburger or do I also need some Hardware or other things?)

A) 1) For this u need to purchase the license from Seeburger.

2) Install the seeburger adapters on XI server.

3) Once u install u will get all the Seeburger adapters in XI adapter list.

4) u need to use the BIC mapping tool which is provided by Seeburger and deploye the Seeburger std mapping for EDI to XMl and XML to EDI conversion.

5) U need to call the std mapping from the module tab of seeburger adapter.

6) U either need to take the WAN provide no or mailbox for data.

Whats about the pricing? (how does it works? messages based?)

A) U need to ask the seeburger guys.

What´s SAP Conversion Agent? Is that a possibility to realize a EDI szenario?

A) refer the below link for more info:

Using the Conversion agent

/people/william.li/blog/2006/03/17/how-to-get-started-using-conversion-agent-from-itemfield

/people/paul.medaille/blog/2005/11/18/conversion-agent-a-free-lunch

/people/alexander.bundschuh/blog/2006/03/14/integrate-sap-conversion-agent-by-itemfield-with-sap-xi

/people/paul.medaille/blog/2005/11/17/more-on-the-sap-conversion-agent-by-itemfield

EDI Adapter by SeeBurger

https://www.sdn.sap.com/irj/sdn/go/portal/prtroot/docs/library/uuid/206e2b65-2ca8-2a10-edad-f2d13916...

B2B(EDI) Integration using SAP Netweaver XI and Seeburger AS2 Adapter

https://www.sdn.sap.com/irj/sdn/go/portal/prtroot/docs/library/uuid/00f9cdf5-d812-2a10-03b4-aff3bbf7...

Integrating XI with SeeBurger

https://www.sdn.sap.com/irj/sdn/go/portal/prtroot/docs/library/uuid/6dc02f5d-0601-0010-cd9d-f4ff9a7e...

Seeburger adapters like OFTPS,AS2,X400 are used for B2B scenario where the file is coming through WAn network or mailbox. As XI dont have capability to convert the EDIFACT format file to XML the same work will be done by seeburger adapters.

The SEEBURGER Business Integration Converter (BIC) is an any-to-any format converter, used to translate EDI data and legacy data formats into XML and vice versa. It can also be used for complex, high performance XML-to-XML mappings or to interface to existing JDBC data sources.

Supported EDI formats include:

• ANSI

• EDIFACT

• INHOUSE

• IDOC

• XML Schema

• XML DTD

• CSV

• Delimited Data

• positional data

• SWIFT

• EANCOM

and many more.

See for converting the EDI XML to EDI and XML-EDI you need to have a seeburger mapping program at the adapter module which does the conversion. For this module you need a BIC tool of seeburger which provides the different module program for EDI to XML and XML-EDI. This program needs to be deployed on XI and through adapter it has to be called for conversion.

AS2 vs OFTPS:

Here is the link for your reference:

/people/ricardoandres.maienza/blog/2007/04/06/edifact-to-xml--stylus-studio-solution

http://www.stylusstudio.com/edi/EDIFACT_translate.html

The steps to convert EDI to XML / XSD can be found at the following link:

http://www.stylusstudio.com/edifact_to_xml.html

Stylus studio download link: http://www.stylusstudio.com/xml_download.html

chirag

former_member859847
Active Contributor
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Hi,

Please check the following thread regarding EDIFACT.

/people/bla.suranyi/blog/2006/06/08/sap-xi-supports-edifact

http://www.xmlconverters.com/customers/sap-review.html

we have Stylus Studio tool to convert EDIFACT to xml.

regards

mahesh.